The purpose of this research proposal is three-fold: 1. to translate recent developments regarding a potential physiological basis for antisocial personality disorder(psychopathy) into behavioral terms that will clarify the specific implications of these developments; 2. to demonstrate the inadequacy of a simple "punishment deficit" explanation of unsocialized criminal behavior; and 3. to explore an alternative mechanism that may account more accurately for the characteristics of the psychopath. The project consists of two sets of experiments. The first set of experiments tests the hypothesis that the avoidance deficits of psychopaths are predicted better by an interference model than by the current model that stipulated a punishment deficit. The interference model highlights the importance of a competing (e.g., rewarded) response that disrupts avoidance behavior. The second set of experiments further explores the mechanism of interference within the context of an anxiety system deficit. The purpose of these experiments is to investigate the reasons why psychopaths are susceptible to interference and to provide a behavioral foundation for speculation regarding an anxiety system deficit among psychopaths. Anticipated results would provide evidence for psychopaths' over-allocation of attention to one aspect of a multi-component task, failure to alter a previously appropriate response strategy when experimental conditions change, failure to learn on the basis of interoceptive cues and amelioration of each of these deficits by providing appropriate focusing instructions, external cues for performance, or salient cues signalling a change in contingencies. These predictions are derived from the theory of a deficient anxiety system among psychopaths. The theoretical function of the anxiety system is to interrupt central attention and divert it to consideration of factors outside of central attention that may have implications for punishment, extinction, or changes within the environment with bearing on a person's current behavior or general state of well-being. These hypotheses are consistent with recent neuropsoychological developments and if supported would provide a greater context for research as well as a novel perspective on psychopathic behavior with implications for new treatment interventions.